Looking back & ahead in the Orioles’ front office

The announced departure of Orioles president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail over the weekend brought about some questions concerning the organization moving forward. And rightfully so. You can read all of the details about MacPhail’s announcement, as well as a recap of the four-plus years he spent in Baltimore, here.

So, if we kept hearing about MacPhail not wanting to come back, why did this take so long?
That answer is two parts. One, MacPhail is very deliberate and with his contract running until October 31, he clearly wanted to weigh his options. The sense I got, as well as the rest of the media –both nationally and locally –was that MacPhail was ready weeks ago to step down. But, in talking to others and backtracking, it appears a lot of that was premature speculation. Principal owner Peter Angelos and MacPhail seem to have a mutual respect for one another and there was an offer on the table for MacPhail to return for at least one more season. So, beyond the general cautiousness and patience MacPhail exhibited while serving as president, he also had Angelos’ proposal to consider.

In the end, as you know, he chose to not take an extension and walk away. MacPhail is expected to take some time off before returning to baseball in some capacity. Perhaps the longtime rumors of his interest in the Commissioners’ job will start to surface in the next year or two, but for now, he’ll be largely off the grid.

And no, he won’t have any input on his successor.

But will manager Buck Showalter get a say?
Absolutely. Showalter will publicly downplay his role in selecting a new GM/president but he has a strong relationship with Angelos and will be heavily involved in selecting MacPhail’s replacement. The rumors that Showalter wanted to be GM were true to an extent, but in the end the organization felt he was too valuable in the dugout and will remain there next season. (I wouldn’t rule out a move upstairs or in some front office capacity after his contract is up after the 2013 season, but that’s getting way ahead of ourselves.)
Angelos and Showalter are expected to convene again midweek, and will likely finalize next year’s coaching staff and other housekeeping items now that he’s definitely going to remain in the dugout. I’ve been asked a bunch about contract status for the coaches, and here’s what I know. Pitching coach Rick Adair has another year on his deal (Seattle was actually paying his 2011 salary), as does hitting coach Jim Presley. First base coach Wayne Kirby is on a two-year deal as well. I’m not positive on John Russell’s exact contract standing, but Willie Randolph was on a one-year deal. The latter two men also swapped roles midway through the season, so there could be a change there, although both men have expressed an interest in remaining in the organization. The Orioles will also need to hire a bullpen coach, or promote one from within. There should be more clarity on that situation by the end of the week.
This week’s meeting with Angelos and Showalter will also focus on gathering names and asking permission from other clubs to speak with potential candidates. As of Monday morning, that hasn’t happened yet, and I can’t imagine they make much headway there, beyond some preliminary feelers, until Showalter flies back to Baltimore Wednesday.

So, the Orioles need a GM/president. Who might want the job and fit the role?
Most people familiar with the situation say the Orioles will stick with the current makeup they had and hire one person to replace MacPhail, rather than go with a separate GM and club president. Angelos has a history of hiring veteran people (so, no young-gun Theo Epstein types) and given Showalter’s heavy input it’s likely whoever comes on board will have a heavy background in scouting and player development areas.
This list is by no means definitive, but here are some names that have been speculated on already, including some interesting candidates to keep an eye on, as we move forward. Some of them have crossed paths with Showalter, while others are names that have emerged as top GM candidates in general. Hopefully over the coming days (or weeks) the list will be whittled down to just a few of these names…

Dan Jennings (Marlins asst. GM )A respected talent evaluator, Jennings has a strong background in player personnel and was also Tampa Bay’s scouting director from 1997-2002. His name has already been floated by several national outlets for the job, and Jennings has been in the mix for several vacancies before.Tony Lacava (Blue Jays asst. GM) ESPN’s Buster Olney reported that the Orioles had interest in Lacava, who oversees Toronto’s player development and Latin American operations, an area Baltimore is incredibly behind in. Lacava also has 20-plus years of experience to draw from, which could make him an enticing candidate.Gerry Hunsicker (Rays senior VP of baseball operations) A very impressive pedigree, including leading Houston to four division titles as GM, Hunsicker is incredibly well-respected by baseball, and has been singled out several times by Showalter. He would be an excellent choice provided he’s willing to move back into more of GM-type role than he has with Tampa Bay.Deric Ladnier (special assistant to the GM for the Nationals) Prior to that, he was the scouting director for the Kansas City Royals with a lot of the organization’s top talent drafted by Ladnier. Several well-respected baseball people have already begun lobbying Showalter on Ladnier’s behalf and he grew up with Showalter in Florida, along with Jennings.Jerry Dipoto (Diamondbacks senior VP) Prior to the D-backs hiring of Kevin Towers, Dipoto was interim GM and he stayed with the organization –despite losing the permanent GM job to Towers – as senior vice president of scouting and player development. A candidate for GM vacancies before, Dipoto was with Boston during its World Series run in 2004, and he ranked tops in MLB Trade Rumors’ list of possible GMs.Damon Oppenheimer (Yankees scouting director) Under the radar to some extent, Oppenheimer, worked with San Diego and Texas before joining the Yankees in 1993, becoming the director of player personnel in 2001 and assuming the scouting director role in 2005.Logan White (Dodgers asst. GM, Amateur and International Scouting) Another long-rumored GM candidate White also spent seven years in the Orioles organization, overseeing west coast scouting operation, before being hired by the Dodgers.Allard Baird (Boston VP of player personnel and scouting) The former Royals GM is now the top talent evaluator in a strong Red Sox farm system. Baird is a very well respected baseball man and was a candidate for the Mets vacancy last winter.A.J. Preller (Rangers senior director of player personnel) A big part of Texas’ recent success, the 33-year-old Preller is younger than a lot of candidates on here, but that could make him easier to lure away. A Cornell graduate who works under GM Jon Daniels, Preller assists in all aspects of scouting and is an advisor on key acquisitions.Scott Servais (Rangers senior director of player development) Another name from Texas to watch, Servais is head of one of the most well-thought of systems in baseball.Scott Proefrock (Phillies assistant GM) While he doesn’t have a scouting/player development background, he’s more on the business side of things regarding arbitration and contract negotiations, Proefrock is a shrewd baseball mind that might fit well with Showalter’s style.Wayne Krivsky (special asst. to the GM, New York Mets) A former Orioles exec before leaving for his current post, Krivsky also served as the Reds GM and has more than 27 years of experience in baseball.

When will this all be resolved?

This is just a pure guess, but if Showalter really does have a heavy hand in the process it will be done sooner rather than later. I can’t really imagine a scenario where the World Series ends and free agency is set to begin with the Orioles still conducting a GM search. It’s possible, but I’d stake my bet on this being resolved before the postseason ends. It is frowned on for teams to make announcements during the World Series, but it’s not completely unheard of.

11 Comments

Seriously though, I would like to see Terry Francona managing, I think Showalter is a better manager rather then a GM.

I don’t understand you people the whole media list these wannabee’s (GM) and it’s getting annoying, well at least to me it is.

I want Chuck LaMar (Player Personnel Director) and Mike Arbuckle (GM)

I mean it! LaMar is definitely available, not sure if the Royals would lets us talk to Arbuckle. However if they did those two have something to prove to the Sillies (Phillies) organization because they both got pushed out in favor of Amaro.

I’m surprised there’s no mention of Thad Levine, Assistant GM for the Rangers. I read that he was a diehard O’s fan growing up, so he’d probably enjoy working for the team he rooted for and would love to be the one to turn the O’s fortunes around.

How likely is a gm candidate going to choose to come take this job if the field manager is the one who picked him. This is looking more and more like Frank Wren 2.0 Showalter should just move up and take the job.

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